[Scons-users] Notice: SCons will drop Python 2.7.* support with SCons version 4.0.0 before end of 2019

[Fred Wright]

On Mon, 30 Sep 2019, Bill Deegan wrote:

> To simplify support and to enable us to use some native Python 3.5+ features we'll be dropping python 2.7.* support with SCons
> version 4.0.0 which we expect to release before the end of 2019.

Unfortuately I didn't have a chance to vote against this, but an important 
point is being missed here.  Although it's possible in principle for a 
project to build for a different Python version than the one running 
SCons, nothing is offered to assist with that, and many projects don't 
bother to provide the necessary code to allow the distinction.  For such 
projects, the only way to specify a target Python is to run SCons with 
that Python.  For such projects, any dropping of Python versions in SCons 
is then inflicted on those projects.  And if they provide Python modules 
used by other projects, *those* projects are also impacted.  Thus, there 
is a huge domino effect, which is especially significant in Python 2 vs. 
Python 3, due to Python 3's incompatibilities.

> Note that Python 2.7 is End of Life is Jan 1, 2020.
> https://pythonclock.org/

Anyone who equates "end of life" with "expiration" has obviously never 
worked with hardware. :-)

Fred Wright